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I arched an eyebrow "No?"

He grinned "No That came later"

"I bet" I unlocked my door and moved into the pitch-black offro onto the chair The roo door was ajar, as usual I peeked inside the murky space Emerson’s shape was visible beneath the covers of her bed I could even detect her soft snores I closed the door between our rooia wanted to be alone with Harris, they hung out at his place She even spent the night there on occasion I couldn’t help s up to a closed door She wouldn’t knohat to think

I faced Reece, shs, the soft deni my chin, I bracedat aze exploringMy bedspread with its overly large purple flowers A poster of Mickey Mouse’s ears, just the shadow of theht He took it all in, and so did I--seeing it through the eyes of a stranger His eyes My gaze skiainst h so many years It was a poor substitute for Purple Bear, but it was the first gift Grairl’s room, I realized Or at least it would appear that way to hi was tidy and organized Textbooks neatly piled ona bunch of stuff I would only have to cram into my car at the end of the year and then find a place to store while back home at Gram’s for the summer

He stepped up to my desk Three pictures sat there One ofout the candles on my first birthday cake I’m on his lap There are a bunch of bodies pressed behind us, none of their faces visible in the shot, and I always liked that Liked not knohich one was Moraph was of just me and Dad The way it would have been if some land mine hadn’t taken hih it wasout the candles Probably because I wouldn’t Instead, I watched him with this wide-eyed, bewildered look onfeat I had ever seen in raph was of e of that frame was a strip of four photo booth snapshots ofIt was on the saether We werethe requisite crazy faces In every pose E love to the camera Like Porn Goddess was the only expression she could make

The last picture was me with Lila and Hunter at their fairlfriend had been lurking somewhere nearby, but the photo had been snapped when it was just the three of us Reece’s hand went unerringly to this photo and picked it up off the desk "Is this hiuy" He looked at htful

I blinked, startled that he would guess so accurately, and unco about Hunter with hih that he kneas doing this to attract so with him?

He must have taken my silence for confusion Or he’d becolass over Hunter’s face "He’s the one you’re doing this for Right?" He waved the fra between a nod and a shake of the head "How did you know?"

"You have only these photos here I’ these are the lanced at the frozen faces of ia, Lila, and Hunter He was right These people were everyone tohere" He looked back down at me with Lila and Hunter

I moved forward and took the frame from him and set it back on the desk "I was a little sunburned that day That’s all" I don’t knohy his words embarrassedforward had placed round though, determined not to step back like proxi I had invited hi coy noould just be ridiculous

Liftingit passed for a come-hither look I wanted him to kiss

But instead of getting on with it, he moved his attention to the picture of hed "Yes"

"You’re cute Your hair was really red then"

"What little I had, yeah"

His gaze trailed over my hair "You have plenty of it now" His attention returned to the photo "Guess you didn’t get the red hair froh"

I frowned Unwelcohts Why was he asking so ht him here We both knehat he was here for

I took the picture fro, Imy ankles out in front of me, I answered him "No That would be from my mother She had the red hair"

Hopefully the "had" would put hi racethose people that were ure that out Without saying anything more about her, he should be able to understand this much about me With that small bit of inforia knew

"My father is dead," I suddenly volunteered I’ about Dad right then It was probably to distract him from the subject ofblown up in Afghanistan Sad but true Neither qualified as makeout conversation, but one was the milder poison at least I would rather him look at me like a poor little orphan than the way he would look at me if he knew the truth about my mother

"Sorry to hear that So it was just you and your o about her apparently

I stared at him, certain my frustration was visible My feet twitched out in front of one, too" Not exactly the truth but not a lie, either "My grandmother raised me"